Dutch Coldwavers Desinteresse Debut Bleak New Single “Grijze Dromen”

In the mist-shrouded crossroads where old-school post-punk meets icy lo-fi coldwave, Desinteresse emerges as a stark, cutting presence—razor-sharp and unflinching. Their music is conjured from a lost era, with Bart’s basslines reverberating like a heartbeat teetering on the edge of collapse, while Sem’s synths and guitar riffs slice through the atmosphere like the biting chill of a North Sea wind. They draw deeply from the well of ’80s minimalism, channeling the dispassionate cool of Fad Gadget, the rigid mechanical precision of The Normal, and the unrelenting bleakness of early Cure.

Yet, it’s not just about the sound—it’s about the ethos. Desinteresse’s steadfast devotion to vintage equipment and aesthetics is a statement in itself, a salute to the analog days when each note carried weight, crafted through skill rather than software. The band doesn’t merely play their instruments; they engage with them in a visceral dance, coaxing out raw, unfiltered emotion. Their DIY ethic is as intrinsic to their identity as the music they create, a fierce rejection of digital convenience in favor of an unyielding pursuit of authenticity. Desinteresse stands as a defiant remnant of a time when music was a manifesto, a battle cry, and a relentless search for truth.

Now Desinteresse has returned with their first release as a trio, now with Joppe de Swart playing the drums on a new offering entitled Grijze Dromen (Grey Dreams), recorded at The Lullaby Factory in Amsterdam, a completely analogue studio. Both songs are sung in their native Dutch.

Grijze Dromen unfurls like a somber incantation, steeped in the eerie echoes of classic post-punk. Its organ-like synths and relentless percussion create a stark landscape where the passage of time feels both inevitable and oppressive. The vocals, tinged with despair, wail through the mix, conjuring a world where emotions are numbed, and connections falter. In this desolate terrain, love’s once-promising warmth fades into a distant memory, leaving only the cold comfort of gray, indistinguishable days. The song offers no respite, only a stark reflection on the futility of dreams and the haunting choice between forgetting and confronting the darkness head-on.

De Helse Poort plunges the listener into an icy abyss of lo-fi coldwave, where a razor-sharp guitar drone cuts through the haze, evoking the somber spectral presence of old-school gothic rock. The track is a bleak meditation on disillusionment, its atmosphere thick with an unsettling chill that intensifies the protagonist’s sense of alienation. As the song unfolds, it tells the tale of a figure weighed down by an almost tangible weariness, trudging through a life that feels increasingly foreign. Once-comforting places now exude a stark, unfamiliar coldness, and those who once brought solace have become distant, ghostly figures. The imagery of the “gates of hell” casts a long shadow over the narrative, symbolizing a journey through personal torment—a passage where not just others, but fragments of oneself, are irretrievably lost. It’s a harrowing reflection on the erosion of the familiar, where the inexorable passage of time leaves behind only the barren, unfeeling remnants of what once was.

The band will be doing a run of 300 copies of the Grijze Dromen single on 7″ vinyl, via their own label: DECADENCE.

You can listen to the single below or order here.

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